Home

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.  The White House issued a proclamation marking the day and noting that “millions of Americans consider suicide, make a suicide plan, or attempt suicide every year.”  In fact, it’s the second leading cause of death among younger people.  The Biden administration is requesting nearly 600-million dollars in its budget to support the Department of Veterans Affairs suicide prevention outreach efforts.

The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire has passed a milestone with their new location. The CEO of the museum says they have raised over 60-percent in private funding to revitalize the center. The museum still needs nearly three-million dollars which will come from new market tax credits.

COVID-19 cases at UW-Madison are low. The university reports eight positive cases since the start of the semester which was almost two weeks ago. The school requires unvaccinated students to get a COVID test weekly. More than 60-percent of the campus has been vaccinated.

 Like much of the country, our state is feeling the effects of a COVID-19 spike. Wisconsin’s coronavirus hospitalizations have jumped double-digits over the past two weeks. The state’s Department of Health Services is reporting a 14 percent increase in the number of people in the hospital with the virus since the last full week of August. ICU hospitalizations are up 11 percent. DHS says, as of Tuesday, the two-week average was 987 people hospitalized with the coronavirus. CLICK HERE FOR

Eau Claire is still trying to figure out how to spend its stimulus money. City and county leaders held a listening session yesterday evening to get a sense of what people in the community want. The city of Eau Claire is in-line for just over 13 million-dollars in stimulus cash, while the county will receive just over 20 million.

We are getting some more numbers about just how many Afghan refugees have arrived in Wisconsin.  National Guard commanders yesterday said 90 flights of refugees have arrived at Volk Field, on their way to Fort McCoy over the past few weeks.  The guard says nearly 13 hundred troops are involved in what they are calling Operation Allies Welcome.  The last head count showed seven thousand Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy, though the base is prepared to handle as many as 13

The fight over who’s in charge at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Board may mean pitfalls for hunters. DNR Board Chairman Frederick Prehn yesterday canceled this month’s meeting because he says DNR staffers didn’t provide him with anything to meet about. Prehn says canceling the meeting is unheard of because the September meeting often sets the stage for hunting seasons in Wisconsin. Prehn is in the middle of a power battle with DNR. He was appointed by former Governor Scott Walker, but

Folks in Madison are going to have to continue to wear their masks for another month. The city’s health department yesterday extended their mask order until October 8th. The extension also comes with a change. Public health managers added an exemption for performers, which means at the very least that the University of Wisconsin’s marching band will be able to play without having to keep their masks on at all times.

Add this to the list of problems caused by Wisconsin’s bus driver shortage. School leaders in the Howard-Suamico School District this week said a lack of drivers is forcing them to move or cancel some sports. Assistant superintendent Mike Juech says it’s hard enough to get kids to school during the day, he said finding drivers for after school sports and activities is even tougher. The bus company for Suamico schools, Lamar, says they have 73 buses but only 43 drivers.

Former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch is running for the Republican nomination for governor.  Kleefisch who served under Scott Walker launched her campaign today.  She says Governor Tony Evers’ entire term has been marked by failure and weakness.  Kleefisch says as governor she would ban sanctuary cities and deploy the Wisconsin National Guard to help secure the southern border.